Benefiting the Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation, which helps the children of fallen soldiers and federal law enforcement officers, the eBay auction will wrap up in just over a day. Limbaugh will match the final figure dollar- for- dollar.

And the event has been so successful that it seems certain others in talk radio will want to give this concept a try, should a similar opportunity present itself.

RUSH: We're still at $65,100 on the eBay auction of the Harry Reid letter -- we call it the Harry Reid "smear letter" -- signed by Harry Reid and 40 other Democrats, a letter filled with factual errors that they know are factual errors. They knew they were factual errors when they wrote and signed the letter. Several members of this audience are sending letters to various signatories of the Harry Reid letter, and they continue the smear in their response form letters to their constituents.

Barack Obama's letter says (paraphrased): Well, I listened to the transcript, and there can be no other conclusion other than Limbaugh smeared active duty soldiers that disagree with the war. It's just surreal. So, anyway, we've turned it around on them -- $65,100 -- the proceeds of the auction will go to Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, which provides scholarship bonds for the children of Marines and federal law enforcement agents who happened to be killed in action. They're up to, I think, $29 million since being founded in 1995. On our website, we have the link to the eBay page where you can go and look at it if you want to.

It's gotten to... You know, $65,100 now is unaffordable for a whole lot of people, so what we have done is put a PDF file of all four pages of the letter in blazing, brilliant full color, suitable for free download. Many people have said, "Hey, I can't afford that $65,000, but I'd love to donate something to the MC-LEF for a copy." Well, you can do that, but you don't have to donate in order to get it. We want as many people to have a copy of this letter as possible. It's the United States Senate's official smear of a private citizen. I know I'm a public figure, but I'm a private citizen. I'm not a politician. I'm not running for office. I have no influence over what government does in terms of having votes there. I'm not a candidate for anything.

So that's the distinction. I'm working in the private sector. The Constitution is supposed to protect people like me, all of you, from this type of action from the federal government. That's what's so historic about this, and whoever does end up being the high bidder for the Harry Reid letter is going to have a genuine historic document, with all those signatures. You've got Ted Kennedy on there, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Some people have said, "Rush, that Robert Byrd signature looks too neat. I've seen him on TV. I don't think he could sign his signature that plainly anymore." Maybe not. Who knows? He's probably got some authorized person to sign for him if he didn't do it himself. It doesn't matter. It's genuine in terms of it representing Senator Byrd. So you can download the PDF el freebo. There's a link right at RushLimbaugh.com for the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation website where you can then go there if you want to donate a little bit of an amount of money. That's up to you. We treat you as adults here, not kids.

You've already paid for this letter, because they wrote it and signed it during the course of normal business hours. The auction goes for about two more days, until one o'clock Eastern Time on Friday, and then we'll be announcing next week what future plans we have. You get the Halliburton Attaché Case, and a thank-you letter from me and a picture of me on stage in Philadelphia last Thursday night presenting the attaché case and the letter for the first time in public.

And Stop The ACLUhas more on how the Randi Rhodes incident has been used to disparage the right, while New York magazine repeats fresh Media Matters slime here.

With millions of dollars backing the left's smear machine, there will be many more battles ahead, perhaps bigger than any we've yet faced. Thanks to Rush Limbaugh, however, we now have a blueprint for the most effective way to fight back.

20 Comments:

speaking about smashing expectations:COLBERT TOPS BOOK SALES WITH 91,122

ERIC CLAPTON IN PLACE WITH 51,991,GREENSPAN AT SHOW AFTER 30,309 MORE MOVED [261,196 SINCE RELEASE];ROSIE O'DONNELL 'CELEBRITY DETOX' OPENS AT 25,722;CLARENCE THOMAS WITH 23,073 [53,420];COULTER 18,858 [46,588]...TOOBIN 12,282 [69,889];INGRAHAM 10,530 [71,102]...JIMMY CARTER 'BEYOND' OPENS AT 7,673

COULTER'S NUMBERS SUCK!!!!!!!!and Inghram in 2 months could not sell what Colbert did in one week

For some perspective, even with all of the Media Matters rehashing Bathtub Boy's Worst Person In the World stuff, Olby's "Worst" book never got ranked on any NYT list nor USA Today: He was left with talking about Amazon sales.

"Olby's "Worst" book never got ranked on any NYT list nor USA Today: He was left with talking about Amazon sales."

That would probably be because his books weren't written off by retailers, distributed to political clubs, lodges, tax-exempt fundamentalist churchs and synagogues, and counted as "sold".

Evaluate a book, film, radio or TV program because it's a good one, not because you are told it is a "bestseller" or "blockbuster", for these larger-than-life descriptives are impossible to quantify in America anymore.

It should not be assumed that the winning bidder of the 'Smear' letter is going to be able to claim ANY tax deduction on the transaction. In fact, I think it'll be a 'wash'.

This is because, according to IRS Publication 526, "If you receive a benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization, you can deduct only the amount of your contribution that is more than the value of the benefit you receive."

In this case, the 'benefit' received (aka 'the premium') is the 'Smear' letter, an admittedly valuable historical document signed by 41 U.S. Senators. The fair market value of that document is being determined in an arm's length transaction via eBay's public auction process.

The winning bidder's contribution to MC-LEF will be the proceeds of that auction, and the dollar amount he is donating will not be any greater than the fair market value determined by his winning bid.

Thus, the amount donated that is "more than the value of the benefit" received is ZERO.

In other words, what prospectively one would assume to be a substantial tax deduction for auction proceeds donated to a charity is, in fact, being wholly offset by the high value of the auction's benefit premium which the winning bidder gets to take home and hang on his wall.

As I said, from a tax standpoint, the whole thing looks to be a wash!

[SEE: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf, Page 4, "Contributions from which you benefit"]

Auction is over, $2.1 million final bid...by Betty Casey, longtimeRush listener and philanthropist.As trustee of the Eugene CaseyFoundation, she has donated huge sums to hospitals and schools. She hasalso given to candidates likeRudy Guiliani--and Barack Obama...

Harry Reid is trying to capture some of the fame from Rush's auction. Dingy Harry had the audacity to use the word "we" when he described the results of the amazing auction. But he has not agreed to any matching amount.

His quote: "I don't know what we could do more important than helping to ensure that children of our fallen soldiers and police officers who have fallen in the line of duty have the opportunity for their children to have a good education."

First he criticizes Limbaugh for comments he did not make and when Reid gets caught in his own lie, he tries to make up with a kissy face action. What a two-timer sleazebag!

It is likely Ms. Casey is buying the Limbaugh 'smear' letter with the $2.1 million purchase price being provided by The Eugene B. Casey Foundation, a 501c3, for which she is trustee. If this is the case, one tax-exempt is donating to another, and thus any matter relating to the tax deductibility of auction proceeds is moot. I wonder what the Foundation will do with the letter?

Rich in MT said:My understanding is that both Harry Reid and Max Baucus from Montana will be matching the auction bid.

I doubt it. Reid does not do charity work. Other than surrendering and waving the white flag, he will continue to push to tax our income more. But you will never see him volunteering any of his own money for a military charity.

As I mentioned at the time of the Hannity "Freedom Concert" coverup, when less then one percent of the proceeds go to the intended beneficiaries of the donors, that's not charity, that's the sleaziest type of political fundraising.

When it's done under the umbrella of tax-exempt charitable fundraising, that's tax evasion and is illegal, pure and simple.

Will it be investigated? Please.

Rush might always pick up a phone and threaten to destroy you, if you do.

I doubt it. Reid does not do charity work. Other than surrendering and waving the white flag, he will continue to push to tax our income more. But you will never see him volunteering any of his own money for a military charity.

Agreed. Baucus is the same way, he loves spending other people's money. I was hoping to start an insane rumor. I have no idea how the liberals do it.

I have just received an anonymous e-mail with a link to a site, I Call BS, that purports to have a secret recording of Harry Reid's Secretary from Friday morning. You can listen to the mp3 and judge for yourself. It seems authentic to me.